Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
by a local couple, but what makes it particularly special is
the stunning location, overlookin
g th
e golden sands of
Luskentyre Bay (Tràigh Losgaintir).
£90
Ì
Pairc an t-Srath
Borve (Na Buirgh)
T
01859
550386,
W
paircant-srath.co.uk.
A working crofthouse,
with beautiful Harris Tweed furnishings - there's a superb
view from the dining room and the food is both filling
and be
autifu
lly prepared (three-course dinners for £35 a
head).
£100
Temple Café
Northton (Taobh Tuath)
T
01859
550205,
W
beulnamara.co.uk.
Great little “Hobbit
House” café in the former MacGillivray Centre - expect
butternut squash soup, roast peppers and veggie
burgers (all under £10) and great views over the
machair.
April-Sept Wed-Sun 10.30am-5.30pm
(also some eves until 9pm); Oct-March same hours,
Sat & Sun only.
LEVERBURGH
Ì
Am Bothan
Ferry Rd
T
01859 520251,
W
ambothan
.com.
Quirky, bright-red timber-clad bunkhouse that makes
for a pretty luxurious, very welcoming hostel
close to the ferry.
Lovely big
kitche
n/living room, plus laundry and drying
facilities too.
£20
/person
The Anchorage
Ferry Terminal
T
01859 520225.
For
local venison and beef burgers, langoustines, black
pudding with poached egg on mu
ns (£10-15), head for
this lively bar-restaurant by the ferry slipway - great views
and occasional live music.
Mon-Sat noon-11pm; food
served noon-9pm.
Carminish House
1a Strond
T
01859 520400,
W
carminish.com.
Modern double-glazed guesthouse
with light, airy rooms, free wi-fi and some fabulous views
over the
Soun
d from the residents' lounge, which has an
open fire.
£80
14
North Uist (Uibhist a Tuath)
Compared to the mountainous scenery of Harris,
North Uist
- seventeen miles by
thirteen - is much flatter and for some comes as something of an anti-climax. Over
half the surface area is covered by water, creating a distinctive peaty-brown lochan-
studded “drowned landscape”. Most visitors come here for the trout and salmon fishing
and the deerstalking, both of which (along with poaching) are critical to the island's
economy. Others come for the prehistoric sites, the birds, or the sheer peace of this
windy isle and the solitude of North Uist's vast sandy beaches, which extend - almost
without interruption - along the north and west coast.
Lochmaddy (Loch nam Madadh) and around
Despite being situated on the east coast, some distance away from any beach, the ferry
port of
LOCHMADDY
- “Loch of the Dogs” - makes a good base for exploring the
island. Occupying a narrow, bumpy promontory, overlooked by the brooding
mountains of North Lee (Lì a Tuath) and South Lee (Lì a Deas) to the southeast, it's
di
cult to believe that this sleepy settlement was a large herring port as far back as the
seventeenth century. While there's not much to see in Lochmaddy itself, there are
several prehistoric sites in the surrounding area.
Taigh Chearsabhagh
Mon-Sat 10am-5pm • £3 •
T
01876 603970,
W
taigh-chearsabhagh.org
he only thing to keep you in Lochmaddy is
Taigh Chearsabhagh
, a converted
eighteenth-century merchant's house that's now home to a community arts centre
housing a café, post o
ce, shop and museum, which puts on some seriously innovative
exhibitions. Taigh Chearsabhagh was one of the prime movers
behind the
commissioning of a series of seven sculptures dotted about the Uists - ask for directions
to the ones in and around Lochmaddy. he most interesting is the
Both nam Faileas
(Hut of the Shadow), 1km north of Lochmaddy. he hut is an ingenious dry-stone,
turf-roofed camera obscura built by sculptor Chris Drury that projects the nearby land,
sea and skyscape onto its back wall - take time to allow your eyes to adjust to the light.
ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE
LOCHMADDY AND AROUND
By ferry
There's a daily ferry from and to Uig, Skye (1-2 daily; 1hr 40min).
